The mood in Leafs Nation

by James Mirtle on Nov 21, 2009 8:54 AM CST Comment 36 comments

Another barn burner here tonight with the Capitals in town, the second-best team in the league against its worst in a game very few expect the locals to have a hope in.

As I've mentioned before, the majority of my friends here are, in fact, Leafs fans, which at this point is about as wretched creature as you can imagine. Most of the sometimes lengthy hockey conversations I've had the past couple of weeks have included plenty of four letter words to describe the situation.

After the loss in Carolina to fall from 29th to 30th on Thursday, my one pal sent along this rant that deserves a wider audience:

I mean literally, when you give up six goals against the only team more hard-pressed to score than you in the league, you suck.

Bad luck, bad players, curse, bad whatever, I dunno. But they are truly, epically [intercoursed]. They have three wins in 20 games. They are on pace for 12 wins in an entire season.

They have Phil Kessel who looks like a dynamite player. Kadri who may turn into one. And that's literally it. There is $53-million dollar worth of player on this team doing absolutely nothing. They can't finish, and they make boneheaded mistakes at bad times, and every single one seems to end up in their own net. It's unprecedented.

Surely at some point you run out of excuses and say you're [intercoursed]. The first eight games, it was the goalie. No question. Then they were snakebitten and had bad luck for four, five games. Now they're just blowing it. There is no possible trade or UFA out of this. It's a minimum of 18 months before they can even start rebuilding. Think about that.

I know it sounds like hyperbole but at this point, I honestly can't think of a team in a more [intercoursed] position in the history of my 20 years of following professional sports.

THEY ARE ON PACE FOR 12 WINS. AND HAVE NO 1ST ROUNDER UNTIL 2012.

[Intercoursed]. I'm done with sports for a while.

Optimism? It's in short supply these days in Toronto.

They've bottomed out, and there are still 62 games to go.

Go Leafs Go?

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Sounds like the Knicks.

Have the Leafs finally sunk down to that level? I think they have.

by Afino on Nov 21, 2009 9:27 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

The Leafs have never been involved with Isiah Thomas or the level of front-office shenanigans the Knicks have had – and at least they aren’t hoping desperately that LeBron James will want to come to their city after another year.

They are looking at a bleak couple of years, which is depressing enough – but at least they aren’t looking at a bleak indefinite future. Teeny tiny consolation. :(

"While there's life, there's hope." --Cicero

by Baroque on Nov 21, 2009 10:00 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I dunno...

can LeBron work the butterfly?

by Vent on Nov 21, 2009 10:54 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I was more referring to the trading of 1st round draft picks for what seems like eternity, the general fan apathy in a marquee market, and the sense that things aren’t turning around any time soon.

One big difference is the competence of Burke.

by Afino on Nov 21, 2009 1:29 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I understand – just the general overall feel of hopelessness, not the more specific and embarrasing issues of the Knicks. You could almost have mentioned the Detroit Lions, for overall hopelessness as well.

"While there's life, there's hope." --Cicero

by Baroque on Nov 21, 2009 2:57 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Well the Knicks are last in the NBA and don’t even own their first round draft pick so I don’t think the Leafs are quite-

OH WAIT.

The West Coast is the Best Coast.

by RudyKelly on Nov 21, 2009 3:12 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

The Knicks are not last in the NBA.

by beatniche on Nov 22, 2009 7:44 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Bad? Most certainly.
Knicks bad? Maaaaybe if you compare to where the Knicks are now, but compared to where they were when Isaiah was still there? Let’s not go nuts.

by Costa24 on Nov 21, 2009 10:28 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nL6QBRQSbMY

Now all the Leafs need is someone to shoot the puck into their own empty net.

DON’T LET ME DOWN!

by Afino on Nov 22, 2009 10:23 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

They had that player but traded him to Florida.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Zb91zDwRxA&feature=related

by Bosc Ulrich on Nov 23, 2009 9:58 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

It could be worse, you could be Oakland. The Raiders had a coach almost get indicted for hitting another coach, an owner who held a 2 hour press conference bashing the old coach, and significantly more than $53-million tied up in one quarterback going nowhere. The Warriors had 1 good run, then Baron Davis parachutes out. This year the team captain said before the start of the season he wanted out, and the teams best player said he doesnt want more responsibility on his back.

Then there is the Oakland A’s. Not a bad team, considering all of the allstar talent they have traded away. They are trying to move to San Jose. It could be worse Toronto.

by pj48 on Nov 21, 2009 9:41 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

The Warriors had 1 good run, then Baron Davis parachutes out

That’s oversimplifying the situation to say the least. Davis getting traded to the Clippers was a symptom of the W’s problems, not the cause.

by Nael M. on Nov 21, 2009 3:56 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Davis didn't get traded to the clippers

He opted out of his contract with the Warriors, and then signed with the Clippers

Space Weed Says Telling it like it is without a care about the mainstream's feelings
"DO NOT get stuck behind Kyle Wellwood in the buffet line. This isn't really etiquette, but it will prevent you from starving to death"- Down Goes Brown on Etiquette for Jason Spezza's wedding

by Space Weed on Nov 22, 2009 7:43 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I don’t think Davis was the cause, definitley a symptom. Injuries also played a part. Bottom line is the whole team is in shambles and there are few people you can look at to turn it around. They can’t fire Nelly because of the guaranteed dollars involved, and he cant or wont work with the younger players. Not good.

by pj48 on Nov 22, 2009 3:58 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I’m not sweating it. We weren’t going to win the Cup this year and 3/4 of the team are free agents this off season. The kids are maturing in their respective development leagues and Phil Kessel is locked down for 5 seasons. Other bright spots; Kadri, Schenn, Orr, Gustavsson, White.

Would it be nice to have some wins? Sure, but better to be like this in a rebuilding year than a year when prognosticators expect you to compete for the Cup. I’m not going to be a Keswick Lee and abandon ship just before we go on a run in a season or two.

"I will take the subway - we were on the subway last night...I'm not above riding the subway or riding on a bus, I don't care. As long as people don't hit me." --Ron Wilson

by Jo4nny on Nov 21, 2009 10:28 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

I think the fact that you brought up a bit player like Colton Orr as a positive is perhaps the most damning statement on the Leafs future I can think of.

by Resolute on Nov 21, 2009 1:02 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

True, but he at least does his job well… I don’t consider his job all that important but he does do it well.

The future isn’t all that bleak. Sure, Leaf fans may harp on the absense of the two firsts and a second that they won’t be having in the rebuilding process but they do have several excellent prospects perculating in the minors that will be making their way to the NHL sooner rather then later.

by Parallex on Nov 23, 2009 9:41 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I really feel bad for Leafs fans.

This kind of institutional depression and fatalism is something very familiar to me personally. It’s not a pleasant feeling and I don’t think anyone should have to live with it, particularly as long as Leafs Nation has.

Then again, no matter how bad things get, you’ll always have your team. So right there you are automatically better off than I am, 12 wins or no 12 wins.

You are validating my inherent mistrust of strangers.

by zyllyx on Nov 21, 2009 10:30 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

Your buddy might want to remove Kaberle from the “There is $53-million dollar worth of player on this team doing absolutely nothing” equation.

He’s been a bright spot – and Burke should get a nice package for him when he moves him.

The failure of this team is not the team – which is awful – but the fact that Burke and Wilson seriously talked playoffs before the season began, dramatically increasing everyone’s expectations. Hell, that even made noted Leaf hater Damien Cox state that they could make the playoffs.

Had Burke said “look, it’s gonna be another long year, but we’re making progress – some of this progress won’t be noticed right away, but it is being made” I think everyone’s mood would be a little different.

by cferneyh on Nov 21, 2009 10:43 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

Disagree

They said they would compete for the playoffs. I don’t think that that was an insane comment.

Now, if the Leafs had no Kessel and a first rounder then people would be laughing, the sky would be bluer, the air fresher, and the girls in the city would be prettier.

Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.

by PPP on Nov 21, 2009 10:54 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

But would it?

I don’t know about that. I mean sure, for you or I, the prospect of a first overall gives us a tiny little ray of light at the end of this 82-game-long tunnel, but really, the conversation would just shift from “You could have had Taylor Hall” to “You don’t have Taylor Hall and even if you’re the worst team in the NHL for an entire season there’s only a 48% chance you could GET Taylor Hall… and what if he’s a bust?”

We’re in a pretty bad position now. I’m not sure things could look bleaker for us. I think I need some Hawk fan support to get me through it – only they truly know our pain.

by Vent on Nov 21, 2009 10:59 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Jo4nny: i almost bought your we have lots of free agents. But then I went to “cap geek.”
5FWD: Kessel, Blake, Hagman, Grabovski, Orr = 16.3M; 5dmen: Komi, Kaberle, Beuchemin, Finger, Schenn = 19.3M
You have 19M to sign 9 Forwards, 2Dmen, And 2 goalies.

Expect 4M to get you a Goalie tandem. Gustavsson needs to be resigned.

15M for 3 top 6 and 6 bottom 6 forwards and 2 Dmen. White is one of the resigns.

As for this year:
The leafs would have to have a 112point season point pace in the last 62 games to make the playoffs.

79 points gets you in the lottery the last two years . The leafs will have to play 92 point season pace the rest of the season just to keep boston from the lottery.

by rickithebear on Nov 21, 2009 11:28 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

$19 million for 13 players assumes the cap doesn’t go down as well. Though it does help that there are plenty of other teams also up against it for filling their rosters next year.

by Resolute on Nov 21, 2009 1:05 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

It’s reassuring… well, somewhat – in that it’s not only us who will have that issue next season.

The only problem is that means intra-team roster moves will likely be at a minimum, and the build-from-within strategy is paramount.

Interesting – I think that was the opposite of the intent of the CBA, at least where rosters were concerned. Maybe that’s a point for another post, though.

by Vent on Nov 21, 2009 1:28 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Interesting – I think that was the opposite of the intent of the CBA, at least where rosters were concerned. Maybe that’s a point for another post, though.

Good point. There were those who were hoping for greater overall roster movement because it would mean that teams with “too many quality players” would have to cut some loose because they couldn’t pay everyone and thus get worse while other teams got better, and some hoped for less roster movement because they associated that with players not always leaving from small market teams for the bigger paychecks of bigger markets … I wonder if there was any coherent thought about what would be better for hockey when it was being negotiated, or if everyone had a different idea of what would be better based on the situation of their own team.

The end result has been teams in all size markets trying as best they can to identify their key players and lock them up as long as possible so at least they know they are safe from being lost or poached, filling in the rest of the roster as best they can, and so teams can’t make any trades or signings until they dump salary first. Teams are either right up against the salary cap or up against their own internal budgets and can’t move anyone because they can’t find a trading partner.

"While there's life, there's hope." --Cicero

by Baroque on Nov 21, 2009 3:05 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

maybe badboy Zherdev is willing to play on the top line for the Leafs?

by lightweight on Nov 21, 2009 4:51 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

The Bruins

Are going to enjoy that top pick.
Thanks, Mr. Burke.

by garth the hoser on Nov 21, 2009 11:36 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

the leafs are enjoying kessel, thank you boston. i hope all those picks are leaf-esque busts.
They will probably be mor elike steen and colaiacovo than kadri and schenn

There is no "I" in team, but there is an "M" and an "E"

by Matt_Roberts on Nov 25, 2009 3:43 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Intercoursed?

Somehow I think using that word rather than what it replaced almost makes the poor guys post sound more angry/scary. There’s a ‘willingly submitted’ implication to intercoursed that makes being a Leafs fan sound almost Jim Jones-ish on the creepy scale.

by HockeyinHD on Nov 21, 2009 1:43 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

I think everyone gets the point.

Blogging on hockey at fromtherink.com

by James Mirtle on Nov 21, 2009 6:15 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I think they need to pick up a steady, older Swedish hand to anchor their rebuild – Michael Nylander would be a good pickup for the Leafs, don’t you think so? I do…go for it BB ;→

by markbona-capsfan99 on Nov 21, 2009 4:02 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

I love how you edited it to say “intercoursed” James.
He’s right, this streak of bad luck combined with horrible play for the Leafs seems unprecedented. The thing I find most frustrating is that I keep expecting something drastic to happen, like Blake being waived, or a trade, or for Wilson to just take someone out back and shoot them. I think waiting for something to change is what’s killing me the most. Every time I watch a game, there’s a bright spot that makes me develop a little more hope, and then something retarded – like Ian White being given 4 minute penalty for Stephan Yelle high sticking his own teammate, and then our being unable to kill the penalties, where they tie the game – kills me. We should kill that penalty, or the refs should smarten up and not call it (honestly, the officiating around the league, in nearly every game I’ve watched – I have Center Ice – has been horrible). But something has to change, I have no idea what it is, but man, this earth-shattering suckiness in our play almost has me swearing off the Leafs. Yet, I can’t do it, I love them too much.

"The only way out is in a body bag. Go Leafs Go." - Blinky

by Karina on Nov 21, 2009 5:03 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Yet, I can’t do it, I love them too much.

What was it, “The more you suffer, the more it shows that you really care, right?” Offspring is one of the few things fuelling my Leafs fandom right now. And this win over Washington will sustain me for quite awhile, too.

Supporter of the Sergei Berezin "Give and Go" - You give me puck, then you go to hell

by bkblades on Nov 22, 2009 2:56 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Bright side: no sentimentality

At least at this point, Burke can trade any player over 20 without incurring anyone’s wrath.

Btw, the focus on the Leafs record including SO and OT is misleading. Let’s look at a couple of records in regulation:

TOR 3-11-7 (14 pts overall)
MTL 3-11-9 (23 pts overall)

Clearly, the Leafs suck…While the Canadiens are tied for 8th in the East.

by Hawerchuk on Nov 22, 2009 2:29 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Hey now.

Detroit Lions. Seriously. The Raiders were mentioned, but keep in mind, Al Davis actually put together a few good teams back in the day. But no one has ever sucked like the Lions have sucked, for as long as the Lions have sucked, and not been sold/moved/dissolved.

Remember Wirtz Sr. and the way he tried to destroy Blackhawks hockey? Ford Sr. is like that, BUT FOR THE LAST FIFTY YEARS. It’s pretty [intercoursed] but Wirtz Sr’s death was the best thing to happen to the Blackhawks in decades, and similarly, Ford Sr’s death will be the best thing to have happened to the Lions in 50 years.

So at least you’re not Lions fans.

http://sacrificethebody.blogspot.com/
Sacrifice the Body - Examining the NHL through statistical analysis, reasoned thought, and blind conjecture.

by IAmJoe on Nov 22, 2009 10:17 PM CST reply actions 0 recs